Andy Nicholls

Does anyone know the correct thread size of the Kipps post clamp bolt on an Archer 1 rig? It looks like around 3/16" fine thread, about 32 threads per inch maybe but I can't take an exact measurement at the moment. Looking for replacements. It seems to be the same size as the long screws in a low mode kit camera handle clamp. Thanks,

Does anyone know if there are any electronics in line from the top video connector to the bottom video connector on an Archer 1 sled or if, as has been suggested by someone at Tiffen, it is a straight through cable? I ask because I recently had to feed HD-SDI from top to bottom into a Decimator to feed the standard monitor, I had to power the Decimator from the bottom battery D-Tap in this case so couldn't top mount it as usual. While this worked OK for a few seconds it kept cutting out and losing the image. In the end I just ran a long cable down the post and fed the Decimator directly and it all worked fine. I was just wondering what might be causing it to cut out, the video line normally works OK so I don't suspect poor connections in this case. Maybe the internal cabling just isn't up to HD-SDI?

Likewise I would tend to use the camera batteries rather than power the camera from the rig. Often the client supplies the camera and has plenty of batteries to hand. The extra weight of the battery is usually good too. The Manfrotto quick release plate works well but watch out for a couple of things that may catch you out. It is easy to mount the camera so that the battery slot is blocked, meaning you have to take the camera off the rig to change the batteries. I have managed to get these setup so that you can just access the slot and change the batteries while still on the rig, although that may have been mounted on a rail system. The Manfrotto plate has a lever to lock it into place, the movement of this is restricted by a DSLR camera body and not everyone realises that by pulling the lever out sideways you can spin it slightly on the ratchet, allowing you extra movement to tighten or losen the plate. I am pretty sure the 7D only has an HDMI output, which won't drive the standard Pilot monitor without using a convertor like a Decimator. This has caught me out before and I had to use the 7D monitor for the shot, which is not good. Luckily that shoot was a mix of 5D and 7D, most was shot on the 5D which does provide a composite video out. Hope that helps,

Well, this only really came about because I originally quoted for a shoot with a 7D and therefore recommended the Pilot rig. It was only later they upgraded to an F3 and my first reaction was it will need the bigger rig, by which time their budget was fixed. Their hire company then quoted the camera weight with one lens as being under 9lbs and within the Pilot spec, obviously without any other accessories. I haven't used an F3 before so I thought it would be useful to see how heavy it was with the basic accessories. We all thought it would be too heavy for the pilot and now we know for certain. I'd like to think I took it seriously enough to ask for your advice in here and report back my findings. The upshot was that I got 3 days work instead of 8, used the proper rig for the job, got them some great shots and still met their budget. I am sure we have all learnt something in the process too and I hope others will find it useful. It is just a shame that the Cmotion remote focus unit let us down, losing wireless connection and forcing us to go tethered a couple of times.

Thanks for the feedback everybody, common sense prevailed and we are now shooting on the Archer with a fully loaded F3. The insurance issues certainly clinched it in the end.

Update: Well today I met the DoP and Director at the rental house and we gave it a try, it reminded me of playing Buckeroo as a kid, adding one bit at a time and waiting for it to go twang. We stripped off everything we could, from the EVF eye piece, mic holder etc, fitted a small Sony battery, 1 S*S card and single lightweight rail for the motor, powered from the rig. To my surprise it didn't bottom out the arm but it was heavy. The post had to be set full length making it very cumbersome but I got it balanced and actually I still have a couple of little bits in reserve which I can remove, 1 small weight, the quick release plate oh and the rubber band. The fully loaded sled weighed just under 16lbs, I believe the maximum is 15lbs but the arm hung just below level. I suppose I was hoping for it to bottom out the arm so they could easily see it was over weight. I am more concerned now about damaging the gimbal and having to boom up just to get headroom. I think the latter will be what actually convinces them to pay a bit more for the upgrade as I think they realise it is only going to compromise the performance and maybe wreck the shots they want. I have now agreed to take both the Pilot and the Archer on set so that we have both options. What do people think are the chances of the gimbal bearings disintegrating during an 8 day shoot, almost a pound over weight?

Has anyone flown a Sony F3 on a Pilot rig? Usual story, the client doesn't have the budget to hire my larger rig. The weight of the F3 plus a CP2 lens seems to come out under 9 pounds, but I suspect that with wireless focus, rails and matte box it will all be a bit too heavy. I managed to almost max out the arm with a 5D setup a few weeks back. Has anybody flown this type of setup on a Pilot? Thanks, Andy www.apntv.com